Excited for the all-new 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser? We are too. This is a profoundly different SUV than the last Land Cruiser, for better and for worse. It’s a lot cheaper, for one, but that’s because it’s a smaller, less sophisticated off-roader that seems less likely to survive 30 years of hard life somewhere in the Sahara. For suburban America, the new one should probably be A-OK. And it’s still a Toyota after all.
Specifically, it’s a Toyota built on the increasingly ubiquitous truck platform that also underpins the Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia, upcoming 4Runner, Lexus LX and Lexus GX. The Land Cruiser is most similar to the GX, though, which you can definitely tell just by looking at them. The Land Cruiser obviously isn’t as lux inside, has five seats only and is exclusively offered with a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid powertrain that gets laughably better fuel economy than the old Land Cruiser as well as the GX. It also lacks the GX’s trick KDSS automatically disconnecting stabilizer bars, but should still be ace off-road.
There are two variants available (plus a fancy-pants limited First Edition) that basically boil down to old-school off-roader (the Land Cruiser 1958) and new-school luxury-tinged off-roader (literally just “Land Cruiser”). They also have different styling, especially in regards to their headlights. Different strokes, different folks. See below for everything we know up to this point, and check back soon for a more complete take once we’ve tested the new 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser for the first time.
Interior & Technology | Passenger & Cargo Space | Performance & Fuel Economy
What it’s like to drive | Pricing & Trim Levels | Crash Ratings & Safety Features
What are the Land Cruiser interior and in-car technology like?
Although the general design is shared, the Land Cruiser 1958 and Land Cruiser (full stop) differ significantly in terms of technology and interior furnishings. Basically, think of the 1958 as the more back-to-basics, few-frills off-roader and the “Land Cruiser” (they really should’ve come up with an actual trim level name) as the luxury-lined successor to more recent vintages.
Besides the cloth versus leather seating, each has a different screen setup: an 8-inch touchscreen for the 1958 and a 12.3-inch one in the Land Cruiser. Both come with wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto as standard, and Toyota says they can receive over-the-air updates as the company pushes them out. The 1958 model also has a smaller digital instrument cluster flanked by analog gauges, while the other trims have a full-screen cluster with no analog gauges. The First Edition is comparable to the Land Cruiser, albeit loaded up with features that would normally be options.
How big is the Land Cruiser?
Its design is a massive departure from the last Land Cruiser and instead adopts elements from its earlier history. The squared-off body and upright stance is a timeless off-roader look, and we think it suits the new Land Cruiser quite well. Toyota made the new model 4.4 inches narrower and 1.2 inches shorter overall to improve its nimbleness off-road, and it looks dramatically smaller in person. It is virtually the same size as the mechanically related Lexus GX that you can read about here.
Unlike the GX, though, the Land Cruiser is strictly a two-row, five-passenger vehicle. That might be a problem for some, but considering how cramped the GX’s third row is, the Land Cruiser’s not missing that much. It also leaves the GX with virtually no cargo space when raised.
What are the Land Cruiser fuel economy and performance specs?
The Land Cruiser is powered by a 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-four and a 48-horsepower electric motor integrated with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Total system output is a respectable 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque sent through a full-time four-wheel drive system. That puts the new model at a 55-horsepower deficit to the previous one, but thanks to the power of turbocharging and electric motors, the new Land Cruiser is up 64 pound-feet of torque. Towing maxes out at 6,000 pounds, a number that will come as a disappointment for many, since the previous Land Cruiser was rated for 8,100 pounds.
EPA-estimated fuel economy stands at 22 mpg city, 25 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined. That’s a far cry from the 27 mpg combined Toyota originally touted when it announced the new Land Cruiser, but it’s still a laughable improvement over its 14-mpg predecessor. It’s also much better than the 17-mpg Lexus GX, which has a non-hybrid turbo V6.
What’s the Land Cruiser like to drive?
Autoblog will be driving the Land Cruiser very soon, we’ll update this when we do.
What is the 2024 Land Cruiser price?
The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser will start at $57,345, including the $1,395 destination charge. That’s not exactly cheap, but Land Cruiser prices haven’t been this low in almost 20 years, when the 2005 100-series started at $55,325. Although a substantially different vehicle to be sure, the last Land Cruiser started at $86,880. That’s a whopping $29,535 price cut.
There are two trim levels, or “grades” in Toyota parlance, plus a loaded First Edition for early adopters. The 1958 acknowledges when the Land Cruiser first arrived in the United States and serves as the base model, complete with appropriately retro – the circular headlights give it away – front-end styling. It is pictured in beige below. The plainly named “Land Cruiser” is the upgrade trim with extra creature comforts, more off-road technologies/equipment and more modern front-end styling, including horizontally arranged LED head- and accent lights.
All prices below include that destination charge.
Land Cruiser 1958: $55,950
Land Cruiser: $61,950
Land Cruiser First Edition: $74,950
What are the Land Cruiser safety ratings and driver assistance features?
Just like all new Toyota models these days, the company’s Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 system comes standard, which gives you the full assortment of driver assist controls. This includes forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assistance, road sign recognition, automatic high beams, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning systems, and adaptive cruise control with lane-centering steering assist.
The Land Cruiser has yet not been crash-tested by a third party.
Related Video
